Stupid Zippers
by Comfrey
Summary: This is a Rowaelin One-shot AU. It seems like Aelin has some trouble with the zipper of her dress and she needs the help of a certain handsome neighbour.


**A/N: This is another Rowaelin One-Shot. Several people have asked me to continue the other one-shot and make it a longer story, but I don't know if I'll do that. Currently, I don't really have the inspiration to continue it, but I may continue it in the future. Anyways, I hope you enjoy this little story I just wrote.**

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With a sigh I placed my handbag on the table. I sank down in one of the chairs around the table and began taking of my shoes. That had been one crazy night. Lysandra sure knew how to make a party out of anything. I didn't know why I had been so stupid to say yes to her for this one time. The day before, she had asked me whether I wanted to go with her to some club to 'pick up some guys' as she liked to call it. I had first protested to Lysandra that she already had Aedion, my cousin, but she had laughed and had said that it was time to make him a bit jealous. I had rolled my eyes at that, but also had known that I needed a night out, so I had agreed to go with her. I could have known that it wouldn't turn out entirely as I had planned. Beforehand, I had decided it was time to wear my new dress. It was a very dark blue, fitted dress, quite short, but with a long layer of chiffon over it. Lysandra had been jealous of it when I had bought it. There had been a couple of guys tonight that had tried to get my attention, but I had waved them off. Lysandra had flirted with quite some guys and danced with them, but at the end of the evening we had both left alone. I looked at the clock, it was already one o'clock. I sighed, I shouldn't have stayed so long. Tomorrow I'd show up at work as a zombie and I knew I couldn't take the day off. I stood up and tried to unzip my dress. I struggled with the zipper. After a couple of minutes of fighting with that stupid thing, I sighed in resignation. This was not going to work. I would need someone else to unzip it for me, but who? Lysandra would probably have fallen on her bed and was passed out by now. All my other friends would probably be mad when I'd call them in the middle of the night. There was only one option left. Going to the neighbour. I had no idea who my neighbour was. I only knew it was a single man and he had just come to live here. He had moved in about two weeks ago. I slipped on a loose pair of shoes, pulled on a coat and opened the door. I hesitated on my doorstep a bit. Was this a good idea? Probably not. I had no idea who he was and he had probably no idea who I was. I was about to step inside my house again, but I knew I had to take the dress off sometime and this was the only way to accomplish that. I sighed and closed the door behind me. I walked to my neighbour's house and softly knocked on the door. The lights were still burning inside. Who was up at this hour? After a couple of minutes and no response, I knocked again. This time, I heard footsteps from inside the house and then the door opened. I looked up and I was met with the most impressing sight of a man I had ever seen. He was so freaking tall. And muscular. And handsome.

He scratched the back of his head. ''Ehmm… Can I help you with something, miss?'' He asked, clearly confused.

I looked up in his eyes and I immediately realized that I shouldn't have done that. I could have drowned in those pine green eyes. ''Well… Yes…''

He chuckled a bit when he saw my eyes drifting down his chest. He probably worked out every day. He had to, with such a body. ''Alright. With what can I assist such a lovely lady as yourself at this time of the day?''

I hesitated. It was freezing outside and I was already shivering. ''Could I come in first?''

He held open the door further and stepped back. ''Of course, how impolite of me to just let you stand there in the cold.'' I shrugged and stepped into the house. It smelled like… Pine and snow. Weird, but a good kind of weird. It smelled somehow like… home. ''Please, make yourself comfortable.'' He said. ''Do you want some coffee?''

I laughed and shook my head. ''Nah, thank you, then I'll never be able to go to sleep.'' I kept standing in the middle of the room. This was extremely awkward.

''Something else to drink or maybe something to eat?''

I thought for a moment and then nodded. ''If you don't mind, I'd like some hot chocolate, if you have some.''

''I'll prepare it immediately.'' He walked to the kitchen. ''I'll prepare some for myself as well.'' He opened one of the drawers and took two large mugs out of it. ''You're my neighbour, right?'' He asked, without turning around.

''Yes, I am.'' I replied.

''What's your name?''

''I'm Aelin. Aelin Ashryver Galathynius.''

He chuckled. ''Sounds fancy, Aelin.'' Oh, the way he said my name. It basically rolled of his tongue. ''Do you have some royal family?''

I grinned. ''Actually, I have.''

He laughed out loud. ''Yeah, right.'' He clearly didn't believe me, but he didn't have to. He would find out later, or not. ''I'm Rowan Whitethorn, by the way.''

''Nice to meet you, Rowan.'' I walked over to him and I saw his eyes rove over my body. ''Like what you see?'' I asked him with a smirk.

He shrugged and then turned around again. I tried to not be annoyed by his response, but I was, just a little. ''Please take a seat, Aelin.'' He said to me without actually looking at him. I reluctantly took a seat in his couch. After a couple of minutes he turned around and gave me one of the mugs with hot chocolate. He sat down in a chair opposite of me. He stared at me for a moment. ''So, what are you doing up so late?''

I frowned. ''You're up late as well. You have all the lights burning, as if it was still day.''

The tips of his mouth twitched into a small smile. ''You have a point there.''

A few minutes of comfortable silence passed, we were both nipping of our hot beverages. ''Why did you move here, Rowan?''

He shrugged. ''I got a job here.''

''Ah.'' I only replied.

I took a small sip of my hot chocolate, but since he had also put whipped cream on top of it, some of the cream got on my nose. He chuckled. ''You've got some whipped cream on your nose, Aelin.'' I tried to wipe it off, but he kept grinning. ''It's still there.''

I groaned in frustration and he laughed out loud. Then he suddenly stood up and walked over. ''Let me.'' He bend over and wiped with his finger over my nose. The only thing was that he held up his hand next to face for a bit too long and his eyes were looking at my lips instead of my eyes. I coughed a bit and he immediately straightened. ''Well, now it's gone.'' He just said and walked back to his chair.

We just sat in silence and I was trying my hardest to stare at anything but him. I took the last sip of my hot chocolate and set the mug on the table. ''Now to the point of why I came here. It's actually kind of weird to ask of you.''

''Ask away.''

''Well, the point is that the zipper of my dress is kind of stuck…'' I muttered.

His face turned red for a moment, but he didn't say anything, just nodded. I stood up and he walked over to me. Then I turned around and showed him the back of my dress.

''Ehmm… Wow.'' Now it was my time to chuckle. For just a moment, I felt his cold fingers touch my back and then he quickly unzipped my dress, while I held it up in the front. I felt his fingers linger for a moment, but then he stepped back.

''Thank you, Rowan.''

''No problem, Aelin.'' He gave me a lazy grin. ''You can come in anytime.'' He gave me a wink and I blushed, but I quickly regained my composure.

''Till next time then.'' I gave him a wink and strode out of his house. I could almost feel his eyes on my back. There would definitely be a next time.

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 **A/N: Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed it. Tell me what you thought of it in a review or PM me. See you next time!**


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